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I have strong reason to believe that my Kennedy ancestors were from the Taghboy or Tisrara area of Roscommon/Galway.   My gr.gr. grandfather, Martin Kennedy was born between 1818 and 1825, left Ireland in 1843, and came to Baltimore, MD.  His brother, Peter (born 1830) also emigrated.  Martin named his eldest child Peter making me suspect that his father was named Peter, but I've seen no Peter in Tithe Applotments or other records for the Taghboy area.  His second son was John.  I'm curious to know why Martin would have left prior to the famine.  Does anyone know Taghboy history to know if there was unrest in the area in the early 1840s?  Also, I wonder if there were family members who stayed behind? 

Tuesday 29th Jan 2013, 08:58PM

Message Board Replies

  •  

    Hi,

     

    Thank you for your message.

     

    Perhaps you could also try contacting East Galway Family History Society for assistance. They may be able to give you some general history about the area and also look in to what records are available there. However, a fee may apply. Here are their contact details:

    East Galway Family History Society,

    Woodford Heritage Centre,

    Woodford,

    Loughrea,

    Co. Galway.

    Phone: +353 (0) 90 9749309   Email: galwayroots@eircom.net

     

    The Local Studies Department of Galway Library may also be able to give you some assistance. Here is the link to their webpage:

    http://www.galway.ie/en/Services/Library/LocalHistory/

     

    I hope that this suggestion is helpful. In the meantime, hopefully someone from the area will be able to give you some information on this message board.

     

    Please be patient - as our programme has only begun to rollout across the island of Ireland and volunteers in some areas may not yet be organized.

    Kind regards,       

    Genealogy Support

     

     

    Wednesday 27th Mar 2013, 12:55PM

  • Thank you Emma.  I have already used the pay for view website linked to the East Galway History Society's website.  Unfortunately, it didn't yield any useful information.  The Catholic church records just don't seem to exist for individuals born as early as my gr.gr.gr. grandfather (1818-1820) for this area.  I've more or less given up trying to find definitive church records.  Likewise, he was too young to appear in Tithe Applotments records.  So, pinning him down is almost impossible.  However, I'm trying to learn more about the history of the area to try and understand the underlying causes for his pre-famine departure.  There was a small but connected group of individuals from the Galway/Roscommon border in this region that emigrated between 1835 and 1845 and ended up in Baltimore MD.  They were instrumental in supplying a home for later famine immigrants in Baltimore and Baltimore County (where they established quarries and limestone kilns to create a thriving community of immigrants). 

    I'll try the local studies department to see if they can offer any suggestions.  I'm hoping that someone can help point out a few churches, buildings, or other business structures that are still standing from this time period.  I will be visiting in early August and it would be nice to have a couple destinations :)  JK

    Monday 15th Apr 2013, 03:38PM

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